XP Pro with MCE?...

Right, so I got caught up in the excitement of reformatting and kind of neglected to notice that the Windows XP disc Dell sent me was for XP PRO, not MCE... Can I just enter my MCE key or...

 

Call up dell and explain to them that they sent you a XP cd not a MCE cd

 

My XP MCE backup disc doesn't prompt for a key or to activate it. The recent Windows Genuine Advantage Notification (KB905474) update checks out fine though.

 

yup, i'm installing it now. the first time i did it i installed on the wrong partition so i'm redoing, but it worked without a hitch. partyboy's right, it doesn't prompt for a key.

 

Not only that, but the XP MCE disk says Installing XP Pro... it is still MCE, MCE is built on Pro.

 

Yeah i found that out when i pulled the disc out and it said MCE. So what exactly are the differences between Pro and MCE? btw, it feels so much lighter after this reformat

 

Wow, MCE is built on top of Pro? Sweet! I always thought it was built on top of Home. Why would anyone choose the Pro option then?

 

I did that study as I was waiting on my ordered. Caused me a delay.. but allowed me to save 120$ which I applied toward the better WSXGA+ screen! =D

Ok MCE2005 IS XP Pro! (Shock!)

All you DONT have is the IT Admin policy stuff, or corporate networking configs.. etc.. Nothing you would really even NEED, I mean.. I COULD get technical and give you the full tech details of whats not there.. but just look it up in wiki, Faster.

However if you want the straight up non tech info.. it IS XP Pro just without the hardcore corporate network stuff that only a Network Admin would use to mass control a network or update it with policies.

All the POWER user stuff however is still there, Remote desktop etc. PLUS you get abit more features with the media center etc. Also.. There are hacks out there to unlock the features from "XP Pro" again too.. so needless to say.. MCE2005 still kicks Homes ass. =p

Edit: Ah here.. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_XP_Media_Center_Edition

That will tell you.. In otherwords.. if you walk into a store.. you get only Home or Pro..

Pro is what real buisness would want if they dont do a server option etc..

If your a power user.. MCE2005 is where its at aside from Pro.. More options and feel . Better TV intergration etc. Issue is.. you have to buy it from OEM with your PC..

 

i love it. and i love the new windows media player 11, i think it's going to replace me itunes

 

Sweet, thanks mysticles! Good research, I'm using PRO on my desktop, and I like it. Getting that with MCE features on top is just icing on the cake.

 

I have to admit that although I noticed it said XP Pro during my XP MCE installation I didn't think anything about it.

Thanks for the information Mysticales!

 

Unless Dell is shipping it's own version of MCE, Media Center Edition is NOT XP Pro with additional features. Don't belive me...try and join a domain with MCE. To anyone wanting to integrate their laptop into a AD-based network, that's a fatal blow for MCE.

From Microsoft:

"While you can access network resources on a work network or a domain, you cannot join a Windows XP Media Center 2005 PC to the domain. PCs running Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 are designed specifically for home use. Professional features, specifically Domain Join and Cached Credentials (Credentials Manager for logins) are not included. As a result, you will be prompted for your login username/password to access network resources after a reboot or logging back into the PC. In addition, file shares or network resources set to require a domain-joined PC for access will not be available. Remote Desktop and Encrypting File System support are still included."

While one may consider this a small thing (though it's only small if you don't require it) it is the major difference between Home and Pro. So to suggest that MCE is built on Pro is incorrect, regardless of what some splash screen says.

 

Man, this always ends up being a non-ending debate.

Fountainhead, you are incorrect. MCE is a version of XP that is built on Pro with two business-related Pro features disabled.

To active the domain feature that is turned off just follow these instructions: http://aspadvice.com/blogs/pmurphy/archive/2005/02/09/2084.aspx

From Microsoft Expert Zone:

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone/chats/transcripts/04october21.mspx

and the Group Policy Editor is only a Pro feature. Try this command in your Run box to determine if your copy of MCE is built on Home or Pro: gpedit.msc

Conclusion: MCE is not Pro or Home, it is built on the XP kernel and has a subset of Pro features (or the whole set once you re-enable them) and a set of it's own features.

 

If you dont like MCE,just format and install xp home or pro

 

No, I'm not incorrect. To say that MCE is the same as Pro is incorrect. The single biggest difference between Pro and Home is the ability to join an active directory domain. This feature is not available natively in MCE. Saying that MCE is based on a subset of Pro is the same as saying that Home is based on a subset of Pro. Or the same as saying that a Buick is a Ferrari...just lacking the performance features and Italian Leather that the average guy doesn't need anyway. Add the stuff aftermarket if you want them, right?

Can MCE be hacked in some way to give access to unintended features? Probably. Just like NT Workstation could be hacked to give back some of the functionality of NT Server. But that didn't make NT Workstation the same as NT Server. It made it a hacked version of NT Workstation.

Until someone here joins a MCE box to an active directory domain without resorting to hacks unsupported by Microsoft, then I'm not wrong. MCE is NOT Pro. To suggest that it is is unfair to a reader who buys it thinking he's going to take it to his office and join it to his work AD infrastructure.

 

Fountain.. again.. for the most part, who here NEEDS to join a domain.. I know when I setup my home LAN.. I dont need a domain.. I dont think most people here cept those who maybe connect at work would even NEED it..

Thus as I said.. unless you need the hardcore network stuff.. your fine and it has more then home does..

 

I do, but that's hardly the point. My point is that many people here are leading unwitting users astray when they suggest that MCE is the same as Pro, with the addition of the media center stuff. When in fact MCE lacks the most important feature that distunguishes Pro from Home. The ability to join a domain.

Because it's not important to you doesn't mean it's not important to the person who runs across this thread and is incorrectly led to believe that MCE gives him the functionailty of XP Pro, when it does not in the most important way. I'm not making a case for someone to buy Pro vs MCE. I'm merely correcting the false claims made here so some poor sucker doesn't make an OS decision based on it.

 

Well the OS decision would be between the free MCE or the Pro which you'd pay for. If anyone is getting duped then they wouldn't have known the difference between Pro and MCE in the first place and the point is moot. Either way, it looks like you can hack MCE to get Pro so if someone does get "duped" and ends up with MCE, they would be able to save at least $100 and fix the problem if they ABSOLUTELY MUST have domain connectivity.